Comedian brings laughs to La Salette

Brantford native Graham Chittenden has a unique aim for the people that attend his upcoming show in La Salette.

“I would prefer them to leave with sore abs,” Chittenden deadpans.

Chittenden is the former host of ‘Showtown’ on MTV Canada, a writer/guest star on CBC’s ‘Mr. D’, a frequent performer on CBC Radio’s The Debaters and a regular face at the Just for Laughs festivals in Montreal and Toronto. On Aug. 11, he will perform a stand-up routine at the La Salette Historic Church.

The evening is presented by the La Salette Area Rural Roots community organization, which owns the town’s church and community hall and often holds fundraisers with money going back into the maintenance and preservation of the buildings.

“They reached out to me and everything about it was agreeable,” Chittenden said, speaking with the Reformer from the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal. “I love the area and I love old buildings and La Salette is right down the road and it’s exciting to get to do a show around town. I travel so much that I rarely take the time to do anything around the area. People in Brantford and area are always asking when they can see me, it’s nice to have an answer for them.”

Chittenden, who has toured with the likes of Corner Gas star Brent Butt and has a special entitled ‘Reluctant Adult’ streaming on Crave TV, has a simple way of describing his act.

“They can expect a man who probably has the same problems they do and hopefully has a funny way of complaining about it,” Chittenden joked.

Growing up in Brantford, Chittenden never saw himself as a full-time comedian/writer but eventually, that became a reality.

“I don’t think it was the original plan, only because I didn’t realize it’s something you could do as a living but it became apparent pretty early on,” said Chittenden. “I started making films and through that got into comedy. I always loved comedy and then decided to pursue it and haven’t really looked back.”

Chittenden and his fellow writers recently won a Canadian Screen Award for their work on CBC’s ‘Still Standing’. The show sees star Jonny Harris travel to far-flung Canadian towns who have suffered hardship and performs a comedy special about the people who live there.

A member of the show’s crew scouts out the town to ensure there’s plenty of material. Once Chittenden and his team hit the ground they’re on the clock to produce.

“We have five days to meet people, interview them and write the jokes and turn them from a bunch of jokes into a set…within five days we’ve written the act, performed it and left town,” Chittenden explained.

Chittenden recently returned from Churchill, Manitoba and will soon hit the road once again for what’s become a uniquely Canadian experience.

“People leave the show sort of recharged about their town and also being on the show gives them some exposure and a lot of times they need exposure to get help,” Chittenden explained. “People definitely show up – in some cases, they’ll line up at 1 o’clock in the afternoon for a seven o’clock show and they like that we’ve taken the time to learn about what their struggles are and they doubly like that we’ve found a way to make them funny without being mean.”

The Still Standing team, said Chittenden, adheres to the slogan ‘it’s a toast, not a roast’.

“Being from Brantford,” Chittenden began, “I’ve learned that you can draw attention to a problem and you can make a joke about it without being mean.”

Tickets are available online at ticketscene.ca or by visiting Byer’s General Store on 159 La Salette Rd.